It doesn't really matter. He can't mate again, so he may as well provide a bit of nourishment to the mother of his children.

Do you think he feels the same way? I mean, I get what you're saying, but that's certainly not how I would feel in that situation.posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 7:22 PM on April 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

so, how does this work in people? does the male choose the female, or vice versa? i like to think i have a measure of control, but what if it's just a cruel fantasy?

spider sexfilter: i saw a paper a few years back about the australian redback, who somersaults onto the female's fangs after swiving her. sometimes she eats him, sometimes she doesn't, and the researchers found that in the instances where he was eaten, he was much more likely to pass on his dna to the babies.

at some point in the future, i may be willing to be eaten as the price of one more sexual interlude. man-eaters of mefi should have a flag on their profiles, maybe a spider graphic.posted by bruce at 7:58 PM on April 19, 2014

Would explain the twerking efforts of the male black widow. Selective twerking.posted by rockyrelay at 5:32 AM on April 20, 2014

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